Filling substances such as sausage material, creams, or pastes are generally distributed to various filling regions or filling passages by a filling flow divider and are fed with a volume flow to the individual packagings or packs. This process involves distributing the filling substances to the individual filling regions and, at the same time, portioning the filling substances.
A known filling flow divider for portioning filling substances is disclosed in EP 0 828 437 B1. In that case, a filling substance is introduced into the filling flow divider and distributed by rotating devices to the individual filling regions, with a portioning effect being produced. The filling flow divider includes a rotor which is arranged in a cavity in a housing and which is rotatable about an axis. The filling flow divider includes blade elements which are slidingly movable in openings in the rotor and which are urged outwardly in a radial direction away from the axis of the rotor of a spring so that the blade elements bear slidingly against the inside wall of the cavity. Defined between the rotor, at least two adjacent blade elements, and the inside wall of the cavity are chambers which increase and decrease in size dynamically based on the rotation of the rotor about its fixed axis and the movement of the blade elements. In accordance with the mechanical configuration of the rotor, the position of the axis of the rotor in the cavity, and the shape of the cavity, a preferred rotary and filling substance flow direction is achieved.
The filling substances to be portioned and distributed by the filling flow divider can be composed of various constituents, that do not dissolve in each other or form with each other a homogeneous solution in the sense of an emulsion because of differing viscosity, nature, or size of the constituents. Certain filling substances are therefore only mixed with one another. It is also necessary for the portioning operation to be effected with a certain level of accuracy.
Another known apparatus is also shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
Referring to FIG. 5, a filling flow divider F is arranged in such a way that a volume flow V of the filling substance is supplied in an inlet region E of the filling flow divider F and distributed within the filling flow divider F to various filling regions B (for example four filling regions B1, B2, B3 and B4). Individual segments S, for example the segments S1, S2, S3 and S4, are arranged at the filling regions B.
The volume flow V is fed to the filling flow divider F and distributed in the distributor region T in the interior of the filling flow divider F to the individual filling regions B. The filling substance (volume flow V) is fed by way of each filling region B to the corresponding segment S and in the respective segment moves a rotor R with blade elements L. The rotors R are rotated in conjunction with the blade elements L, and portioned discharge of the filling substance occurs in a corresponding outlet region of the respective segments S of the filling flow divider F.
In the above-described filling flow divider F, however, there is the danger that changes in the filling substance can occur as a consequence of inevitable pressure fluctuations and pressure peaks in the flow of the filling substance through the filling flow divider F and a concomitant non-linear configuration in filling and emptying the filling flow divider. Moreover, inaccuracies in portioning can also occur.